One thing I noticed in my games is that at medium to high levels, damage output rises so quickly that most fights last only 2-3 rounds. This symptom has bothered me for some time now (come on - fights that last 18 seconds?), as it often leads to a situation similar to the following:
- DM creates a group of opponents, say, 5.
- DM carefully thinks about said opponents' tactics, laying them out round by round
- Actual play. First round of combat, players win initiative and proceed to wipe out 3 of 5 baddies within the course of one round.
- DM gnashes his teeth, because he could have saved himself all the prep work.
Thus, I have thought about instituting the following rule, to reduce the disparity between damage output and hit points:
All creatures - both PCs and NPCs - gain x + 1dx + CON hp per level.
For example, a barbarian (d12) would gain 12+1d12+CON hp each level.
Benefits: Fights last longer; reduces one-hit-one-kill syndrome; makes for a more challenging game that's less prone to come down to "he who wins initiative wins the combat".
Drawbacks (maybe): Reduced lethality at low levels. [This may be an advantage or a drawback, depending on your style of play.] Constructs et al. get even stronger.
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Now, I wouldn't dare to suggest this rule be "officially" implemented as-is; but maybe it could be food for thought. Maybe some of you have noticed similar problems, and have your own ideas as to how to fix the damage/hp disparity at higher levels? I think it would be great if something would be done about this in Pathfinder RPG.
Also, if you think this idea is total rubbish, please don't hesitate to share ;-).
while I do sympathize as both a DM and player, I think that longer combats are not a good thing. They entail more rounds, more rolling, and in the end far more time to play out.
My personal taste, but I prefer short and intense combats as interludes to roleplaying.
Thanks for your input, Rhavin :).
It seems to me that "lengthy" combats under the 3.5 rules are derived from a multitude of sources - players not having a 100% grasp of the rules; lots of rolls; lots of wonky abilities a DM has to keep track of ...
If all of these would be simplified - as the Pathfinder RPG promises to do - I don't think having more hit points would be deterrent to having intense combats.
YMMV, of course.